Everything in life gets pigeon-holed and motorcycles are no different.

Long-in-the-tooth sportsbikes move on to be sports tourers. Sportsbikes can range from manic two stroke screamers to 1200cc 190mph missiles, so where does the Kawasaki ZRX 1200 S fit into the great scheme of things?

It's not a retro bike, though that's where its roots lie, and it's not an out-and-out sportsbike. Well according to Kawasaki's brochure it's a "Funsports" along with the 750cc ZR-7S and 500cc ER 5.

The ZRX has been around since 1997 when it was an 1100cc muscle bike with a design tendency towards the big American racers that were so successful with Eddie Lawson on board in the early 80s. And then the bikini fairing clad 1200 R was joined by the more wind cheating 1200 S with a larger frame mounted fairing.

Power is supplied by a derivative of the tried and tested ZZR 1100 engine with low and mid-range torque being the main design brief, and very nice it is too. Power is silky smooth from tick-over to the red line - not that you need to take it to the upper reaches of the rev counter, far better to short shift through the gearbox and wind on the throttle as required.

I constantly tried to engage a non-existent sixth gear which is the sign of a torquey engine. I have the same "problem" with Suzuki's 1200 Bandit and, like the Bandit, the Kawasaki has a complementary transmission that can see the revs drop to tick-over in top gear and still accelerate without any snatching.

So the engine department is excellent, but does the chassis live up to it? Well this is not meant to be a backlane scratcher and anything carrying a dry weight of 223kgs in a steel cradle frame is going to struggle when the pace hots up. But the suspension is set up on the comfortable side of soft and gives the rider plenty of feedback.

Six piston caliper brakes will keep you out of trouble with two finger lever action, and can be used in anger mid-bend if necessary without tying the frame in knots, as I found out when I came round a blind bend and found a van parked on the apex with both doors wide open.

The fairing does its job, but the mirrors, mounted to the screen, blur at around 4,000 rpm which is annoying. Apart from that it's all pretty good. The cockpit features an analogue speedometer and rev-counter which, along with the warning lights and fuel gauge, are housed in a brushed aluminum cowl.

Sales must be going well as the popular ZRX 1200R in green is sold out for this year with no more due in the country till 2004. Still, it fits neatly in the middle of this particular price pigeon-hole, but I still don't know what a "Funsports" bike should be!